Sisters By Blood, Family By Choice
by Kalianna R. Landry
Summary: "Three sisters, dark as night; Trapped amidst and everlasting fight; Gone is the line between life and death; Enemies till the final breath"
1. I: Regina

**Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon A Time or Merlin**

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><p><em>Sing to me of the witches, Muse<em>

_The sisters of power and might_

_Trapped forever in the grasp of night_

_Try as they do to break free_

_Never shall they succeed as sisters three_

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><p>I<p>

REGINA

They were idiots, the lot of them; it seemed to be a trait passed down through blood. From mother to daughter; each one possessed a unique amount of naivety and stupidity. They trusted her, the Charmings actually trusted her. In fact they trusted her so much that they made her the last defense between the Wicked Witch and their baby. With a wave of her hand, the shield shimmered a bright purple before disappearing. Regina could not undo the white magic of Emma, but she could, however, remove her own. Leaning up against the alabaster wall, the Evil Queen waited for her sister to arrive and collect the last ingredient needed for their plan.

She and Zelena even managed to fool Rumpelstiltskin, their teacher, the one who taught them most of what they knew. The man was so desperate for his freedom that he did not stop to actually ponder Zelena's supposed reason for wanting to go back in time. It was not long before Regina spotted her green skinned sister and allowed herself to be thrown against the wall. She should really become an actress, as her performance was really perfect. Even Robin, the insipid thief who could read her so well, did not even come close to guessing how close she actually was to her eldest sister. For once in her life, Regina would come out on top, no one would be able to stop her, not Snow, not Emma, not even her son, Henry. She would finally be able to reclaim her happiness and get the family she deserves. The family who loves her for who she truly is.

In their anger, the Charmings neglected to realize that she went down with barely a fight, which is so unlike her. They rile the town up and add her to the small rescue group they form. The seven person team marches to Zelena's farmhouse prepared for the final battle with only two outcomes in sight; win or die. In her mind however, Regina sees only one option that she can live with: success. She can only imagine their stupefied faces as she and Zelena reveal the true nature of their plan and disappear in the swirls of time. She is so caught up in her thoughts that she barely notices that they have approached the dilapidated barn that serves as Zelena's doorway to the past.

"Are you alright?" Robin's concerned face enters her line of vision, his brow wrinkled in worry. Worry for her, she soon realizes. It has been so long since someone cared about her safety out of love. It has been so long since Henry truly cared, since Daniel was alive and able to.

She nods and grips his hand tightly, "Promise me what happens in there will not change anything," she urges, brown eyes desperately searching his.

"I promise," Robin's eyes meet her with unexpected confidence, caring and love. She kisses him hard but briefly. The importance of their mission becoming an increasing pressure. With a nod to the others, she opens the rotting doors with a wave of her gloved hand and the group enters.

They are met with Zelena standing in a tycoon of orange magic, being fed by the four different objects placed strategically around the circle. Regina's eyes immediately find her beaten hard. The black and red object is across the room from her. She charges towards Zelena and her sister flings her across the room, whilst commanding the Dark One to deal with the other six. Knowing that the spell no longer has need of the power from the objects, Regina scoops up her heart and places the withered object back into her chest. Recovering from the brief flash of intense place as her heart found its rightful place, the dark haired woman stands, dusts of her jacket and enters the center of the circle with her sister, adding her purple magic to Zelena's green, making the portal increase in power. Smirking at the group and Rumpelstiltskin, she smirks and says with a cackle, "You insipid fools, you've failed," before being swept away into the orange swirls of time.

"NO!" Emma and Robin shout, both diving into the portal mere seconds before it closes.

Regina and Zelena landed on the hard ground with a thud. The sisters knew someone would follow them and that they only had a few seconds to get somewhere safe.

"To the place of the battle. There we can plan out our course of action," Zelena stated before grabbing her baby sister's hand. The pair disappeared in a puff of green and purple smoke.

Regina and Zelena found themselves in an abandoned town. Piles of ashes stood where houses once were, the skeletons of the dead littered the small dirt roads, the bodies of decaying animals gave the air a foul stench.

"The place of your most evil act," Zelena noted.

"The place where we will fight the Darkness," Regina tore her gaze away from the dead and focused on the goal, "How are we going to stop the Ghost King's spell?"

Zelena spotted a blackened wheelbarrow and smirked, "By casting one of our own."

**XxOUATxX**

"How could none of us have realized this? How could Regina betray us for the sister she barely knows?" David paced back and forth on the elaborate Oriental rug. He, Snow, Henry, Belle and Rumpelstiltskin are gathered in the back room of the pawn shop. Snow rocks the baby from her spot on the couch, Henry watching the two protectively. Belle is perched next to Rumpelstiltskin who is leaning against the wardrobe.

"Three sisters, dark as night; Trapped amidst an everlasting fight; Gone is the line between life and death; Enemies till the final breath," Rumpelstiltskin spoke from his corner of the small room.

David turned to face the Dark One, "What is that supposed to mean?"

"That was an ancient prophecy that I believed to be about the three Mills sisters," Mr. Gold responded.

"Three?" Snow interrupted, "I thought there were only two."

"Quite the contrary, dearie. Regina is the youngest of three. All half-sisters, born through Cora's mad quest for power. As you know Zelena was the child of a gardener whom Cora thought to be a prince. Regina is the daughter of a prince, fifth in line for the throne. The middle child, Morgana, is the daughter of a duke in Camelot."

"Camelot?" Henry straightened, "The realm of King Arthur?"

"The very same. However, the duke was already married when he met Cora and could not marry her. She sent the babe back to Camelot with him. There she was raised in the court. When news of her true parentage was discovered, she called upon me to teach her magic. I didn't find out till much later that she was Cora's daughter. And by then it was too late."

"Too late for what?" David inquired.

Rumpelstiltskin sighed before beginning, "As you know, I also taught Zelena and Regina magic, with knowledge that the two were sisters, destined to be enemies forever due to Zelena's jealousy. I discovered Morgana's true birth after her lessons were complete. By then she also knew of Zelena and Regina. It is to my knowledge that the three took up residence the Palace and their combined magic alerted the most powerful evil. It has several names, the Darkness, the Shadow, Death, and the Ghost King. He rules of the spirits of the dead and desires to control the living as well. He realized that they were the three sister of the prophecy, destined to either kill him or assist him. With them lies the future of the living in all worlds, magical and non-magical. So lured them under his spell and taught them magic darker than even I dare to practice. Under him they became the most powerful sorceresses in all the lands, but at a terrible price. Their souls became dark and under his command, he could control them like puppets on a string. Under him the three sisters became the evil villains you know of today. The Wicked Witch, the Malevolent Fairy and the Evil Queen were simply pawns however, in his quest for ultimate power. They soon realized this and their desire for freedom increased tenfold. The sisters freed themselves from his control and managed to weaken him. All magic comes with a price, however, and it was paid by Morgana. Before the final blow was struck, the Ghost King struck Morgana with some extremely powerful magic intended to kill her. Had the blast hit her a little more to the left, she would have surely died. But it did not, yet she was reduced to a state worse than death. Her soul was torn from her body and taken to the dark realm of the Shadow as he retreated to his ghostly kingdom. He cannot rise again without the sacrifice of another. Try as they might Regina and Zelena were never able to revive their sister. Now I fear they are going back in time to save her and bring her here."

Blank faces stared back at Rumpelstiltskin. Finally, Snow spoke up, "Why would they bring Morgana here?"

Belle answered for her husband, "Regina and Zelena know the effects keeping Morgana alive in that time period would do to this time period. In order to avoid all of that they would bring her here. At least that is what we are assuming."

"So the safety of our lives relies on the hope that Regina and Zelena know what they are doing," David stated angrily.

Belle grimaced, "Yes."

**XxOUATxX**

Robin and Emma crashed onto the ground barely four seconds after Zelena and Regina had vanished. Groaning in pain the pair sat up, Emma leaning heavily on a large oak tree.

"Well we've lost them," Robin stated, cursing, "How are we supposed to prevent them from doing any harm if we have no knowledge of their current location."

"We could try heading to the nearest village and figuring it out once we've both had a change of clothes," Emma suggested, gesturing to their modern garments that would certainly look out of place in the Enchanted Forest.

"I suppose. We can head to the Queen's palace after adjusting our wardrobe." Robin stood and leant Emma his hand.

A painfully slow hour later, the Outlaw and the Savior finally reached the nearest town, if it could be called that. It was made up of a few rundown huts and a single barn. The three livestock were grazing in a tiny meadow a few meters from the town center. The pair were about to exit the woods when they heard the clanking of wheels and the clumping of horses. Pulling Emma down behind some brush, Robin waited for the other new arrival to reveal themselves. When he saw the Black Knights he was about to face his worse nightmare, the Evil Queen. When Robin had finally met her, Regina was trying to become good. She had left all the events of the past behind and was trying to create a future. So Robin had never truly met the Evil Queen, never truly seen her in action. And he never wanted to. He knew deep down that the events he would be experiencing were going to affect their relationship negatively.

Robin prepared himself for what he thought would be the worst, when something unimaginable happened. The Evil Queen exited the carriage and pulled his deceased wife in front of the crowd. He struggled to remain in the hiding spot, but Emma's presence kept him grounded. He could not reveal both of them, Emma did not exist yet. He could not and would not get her killed.

"Where is Snow White hiding?" She demanded of the townsfolk. Her red dress clung to every curve and heavy rubies were inlaid around the elaborate collar. All in all she looked stunning and terrifying. Had Robin seen this dress at any other moment, he would have been stunned, now he was only angry.

"Fine, stay silent." The Evil Queen glared at the peasants, "But if I discover that one of you is hiding the traitor, you will end up like this woman: on death row." She turned around and marched back towards the carriage. Just before she entered the ornate coach she faced her knights, "Burn it to the ground."

The Evil Queen rode off with Marian not far behind, trapped in the grasp of two black knights. Glancing between his trapped wife and the soldiers about to burn down the village, Robin aimed and fired. Arrow by arrow hit their mark and soon the village was safe from harm, but his wife disappeared behind the bend. He had lost her again.

Emma pulled him towards a clothes line were a few garments were hanging, "Come on Robin, we need to stick to the plan."

He continued to stare at the place his wife had disappeared, before allowing Emma to drag him away.

"That poor woman," Emma remarked, grabbing a corset and skirt, "I wonder who she was."

"That would be my wife," Robin did not meet the blonde's eyes, focusing on selecting an outfit from the few choices he had. Neither of the two said another word while they completed their task.

An unspoken agreement led to them walking down the Queen's Road, following the carriage tracks to the Palace.

"I wish I could save her," Robin muttered after thirty minutes of total silence.

Emma looked up at him, "Maybe you can."

"How?"

"Well we know that Marian is going to be executed, so the Queen would be holding her at the Palace. It seems hopeless to try and find Regina, so why don't we save your wife.

"But that would mess with our future."

"Not if we take her back with us. Then you can give Roland his true mother."

Robin thought Emma's idea through, "It seems as if we have a new course of action."

**XxOUATxX**

Regina looked at her eldest sister with slight confusion, "What do you mean?"

"I am suggesting that we transform that wheelbarrow into our sister. I remember the ingredients if you are willing to be the caster," Zelena's blue eyes met Regina's brown ones.

"When will we swap the real for the fake?"

"If I recall, Morgana is swept aside during the fight behind that building. We keep the real Morgana and they get the fake one. Then we make to Rumpelstiltskin's castle to claim the wand and return to the future."

"Name the ingredients," Regina demanded, summoning a small cauldron and creating a fire to heat it up.

"Lock of Morgana's hair," Zelena turned to directly face her sister.

"That's it?"

"That is all. We are to place it on the object we will be transforming."

Regina waved her hand and the cauldron disappeared.

"So all that's left to do is wait?"

"Precisely. Come sister, we should at least get in position."

The pair barely made in behind the soon to be smashed barn frame with the wheelbarrow when the Ghost King and their past selves appeared in the town center in a swirl of black, purple, green and blue smoke.

"Ahh, the sweet smell of death," A handsome man of approximately 6'6 stood in front of three beautiful woman. His skin was a pale, milky white that appeared to be almost transparent while his eyes were completely black. His fingers, wrapped around a black staff with a large crystal on the top, were thin and bony. Black robes covered his body and dragged behind him as he walked forward, leaving behind dead grass and insects, "Thank you for bring me here Regina. This is just what I need to strengthen my powers. I'll need them on the morrow." He let out a deep, chilling chuckle.

"Of course my lord," The Evil Queen curtsied low to the King of the Dead.

The Wicked Witch cackled, "You will need them my lord, but not for what you think."

She sent a wave of green magic at the Shadow. It hit his left leg and forced him into a kneeling position.

A young woman clad in a tight royal blue gown smirked, "That is where you truly belong, bowing to the real rulers."

The man smiled stiffly and with a wave of him hand, the young Queen was sailing back into the thick trunk of a birch tree.

"How dare you," the Evil Queen glared at him and summoned a wave of fire, shooting at the Darkness who blocked the attack with his staff and shooting it back at her. Regina followed her sister's path and hit the ground nearby.

Morgana had rejoined Zelena and stood beside her.

"You foolish girls," the Ghost King shook his head and grinned, "You think you can beat me? I made you who you are, I created you, I control you."

"Not anymore," the Evil Queen growled and took her place of Morgana's left. The three sisters shot out pure magic at the Ghost King. He held up his staff to block the attack. The sisters gritted their teeth and pushed their magic a little harder. The staff was not able to withstand the attack and shattered in pieces, releasing a wave of black magic. All four magicians were blasted in different directions, crashing into buildings and trees.

**XxOUATxX**

The sun was setting by the time Robin and Emma had reached the Palace. It took them until nightfall to find a conceal entrance and make their way to the dungeons. The pair were currently pressed against a wall, making sure the pathway was safe, before dashing down the hall. The searched row after row of cells, finding other unfortunate folk but never Marian. After descending into the third level of the dungeon they came upon her. She was slumped against the wall, her arms and legs in chains. Her hair covered her face, a dark curtain shielding her sight from the disgusting sights within the cell. It was clear that the cell had been cleaned in several years. Feces littered the floor and the chamber pot had mold covering it and on the surface decades old piss. Hay littered the floor and was covered in even more shit and blood. The stenches blended together and caused Emma to throw up in a corner.

Robin dashed to the bars calling, "Marian!"

Her head shot up, "Robin!" She crawled to him, "My love, I thought you would believe me dead."

Robin froze, "Of course not, never. Come we must get you out of here." He pulled a lock picking set from a pocket in his muddy britches.

Emma was recovering from her bout of illness as Robin worked the lock. She had the case on her person when they fell and had given it to him for safe-keeping. That was her only set, after all. It took a few minutes, but Robin was able to break the lock and free his wife. She leaped into his arms.

"Oh, I hoped and prayed you would come, but I never thought…"

"Marian," Robin held her face gently in his hands, "I will always rescue you."

"I hate to break the reunion, but we need to get going," Emma spoke up, "The guards will be coming and unless you know of some secret tunnel to the surface, we need to go out the way we came in."

"Of course," Marian nodded. The three ran through all three levels without seeing any guards. When they reached the first floor of the Palace they realized why. All of the Black Knights on duty were standing in front of a single room. No servants were in sight. This made their passage to the small door by the kitchen fairly simple. They exited the Palace and hid in the nearby forest.

"Now what?" Emma panted, catching her breath.

"Well you are more than welcome to come back to camp with us," Marian offered.

"We won't be going back there, I'm afraid." Robin placed a hand on Marian's shoulder and faced Emma, "I believe our next course of action would be to seek out Rumpelstiltskin. He would have what we need to return."

"What about Roland?" Marian asked Robin angrily, "Did you just abandon him?"

"I would never," Robin tried to calm her, "He is where we are going and he is safe. Close friends are watching him this moment. I would never leave my son to fend for himself."

"Our son," Marian corrected.

"Of course," Robin nodded. He stepped in front of the two women and began leading the way to Rumpelstiltskin's castle.

The journey to the Dark Castle was much shorter than Emma expected and was comfortable with. She would hate to live in the Palace and have the Dark One living no more than a twenty minute walk away from you. The large, wooden double doors loomed far above their heads. Robin pushed them open with great effort and all three travelers entered the Great Hall.

"To what do I owe the pleasure, dearies?" Rumpelstiltskin said from behind them.

"We require your assistance, Dark One," Robin turned to face him.

"With what, dearie. But know this, all things come with a price."

"We are from the future and require passage back to our time."

"That is impossible."

"Impossible is a fancy way of saying, I'm possible," Emma interrupted.

"Well there is one thing that could work," Rumpelstiltskin walked over to a chest and pulled a small silver wand from one of the cases resting in the surface, "This will cast whatever spell you last cast, all you need to do is power it."

He handed it to Emma. "I don't have magic," Emma went to give back the wand.

"A pity. Guess you're trapped here," Rumpelstiltskin cackled and with a wave of his hand, sent them to a place unknown to all except those who have found it already.

**XxOUATxX**

Regina and Zelena rushed over to Morgana's body. Placing the hair on the wheelbarrow and waving her hand, Regina turned the object into a perfect copy of Morgana. She turned the copy around and pushed it in the direction of the battle field. Helping Zelena lift Morgana, Regina then magicked them to the Dark Castle. They appeared in Rumpelstiltskin's Great Hall in a puff of smoke.

"What is it this time, Your Majesties," the Dark One purred from his spot at the head of a long oak table.

"We required the Silver Wand," Zelena placed an object on the table.

"I am sorry but I have already given it to another customer," Rumpelstiltskin smiled evilly.

"Well send us to their location," Regina demanded.

"As you wish, Your Majesty," with a wave of his hand, the Dark One sent the three Queens to the same location as Emma, Robin and Marian.

Regina knew they had been tricked the moment she saw the large arches leading into cavernous rooms and no door. A few feet away from her and her two sisters stood Robin, Emma and a third woman. She looked strangely familiar, those dark brown eyes and unruly brown curls. Emma was holding a golden urn and twisting it around in her palms. Regina spotted the object and frowned.

"Did you come in here with that, Emma?" Regina asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No," Emma placed the urn down on a wooden stand. Regina smirked.

"Who is that?" Zelena asked, pointing to Marian.

"We could ask the same to you," Emma retorted.

"This is our sister, Morgana." Regina informed them.

"And this is my wife, Marian," the woman took Robin's hand, fear shown in her eyes at the sight of three well known villains, although she did not let it show anywhere else.

Pain shot through Regina like a bullet and came to a stop in her heart. The withered object was near the point of breaking at those words. Marian, Robin's deceased wife was now going to be alive. She thought he loved her but clearly he did not if he was rescuing his wife and bringing her to the present with them.

"You wife?" Regina couldn't help it when her eyes watered but was grateful for the dark.

"Regina…"Robin started.

"No, you have clearly made your choice, thief. Be glad you escaped from whatever we had while you still could. You wouldn't want to be trapped in a relationship with the great and terrible Evil Queen. I just hope your wife can live up to what we had in the bedroom. You know what they say, a good girl is perfect for meeting your parents but it takes a bad girl to blow your mind," Regina smirked evilly at Marian who turned her hurt gaze on her husband.

"How could you?" Marian looked up at the archer with tear filled eyes.

"You were dead Marian. Roland and I spent a near thirty years without you. I lived my life and moved on. I always held you in my heart and I told our son about you. But I moved on, slowly but surely. And before this all happened I was dating a relationship. But I saved you and I still do love you. So I will hold to my vows," Robin took Marian's hand and gave her a quick peck.

Regina's heart broke all over and again and she turned away from the reunited couple. Zelena noticed the very wand they were looking for in Emma's grip and nudged Regina.

"Emma, may I see the wand?" Regina held her hand out, knowing Emma would comply if she wanted to return home. Emma hand the object to Regina and it glowed as soon as it hit her skin. With a wave, a new portal opened. All six travelers jumped in and went back to Storybrooke.

**XxOUATxX**

The group shot out of the portal and landed on the cold, dirt floor and the crumbling barn. Almost immediately Regina grabbed Zelena and Morgana and teleported them to her mansion. Morgana was slowly coming to from her place on Regina's living room couch, Zelena watched over her as Regina fixed a small dinner. She was busy adding a pinch of salt to the chicken noodle when Zelena called her name.

"Regina, Morgana is awake"

Regina grabbed the chamomile tea she made just in case, heat it using her magic and walked into the living room.

"Hey, Gana. Nice to see you awake," She smiled at her elder sister and took the chair opposite the couch.

"Where am I?" the young woman murmured as she sat up.

"You are in Storybrooke, Maine. It is a town that was created by a curse I cast and is located in a non-magical world although it is accessible here. It has been thirty years since we last saw you," Regina explained.

"What!" Morgana looked at her sisters, shocked.

"I discovered how to properly time travel. So we went back in time, grabbed you before the Ghost King was able to harm you and brought you with us. Don't worry we made sure not to bring anything back," Zelena placed her hand over Morgana's, "I know this will be a stressful next couple of days but I promise everything will make sense eventually."

"Here," Regina handed Morgana the cup of chamomile, "We'll help you through everything."

Emma led Robin and Marian into Granny's Diner after a long trek back from the barn. Almost immediately she was accosted by her parents with hugs and cries of relief, Henry followed not too soon after.

"Where were you?"

"We were so worried"

"Thank god you're okay."

"Where's my other mom? Is she okay?"

Emma's head swiveled from side to side as she tried to respond to everyone, "Regina's at home and perfectly fine, Henry. Mom, I went back in time and helped Robin save his wife after we failed to follow and stop Regina and Zelena. Yes I am perfectly fine. Anything else?"

"Did you say you brought back Robin Hood's wife?" Henry asked.

"Yeah, he and I did. Roland deserves to have his real mother around," Emma looked down at her son.

"There's nothing wrong with growing up without your birth mother around," Henry crossed his arms and frowned, "I'm going to go to my mom's, see you guys later."

"Henry!" Emma tried to stop him, but her mother held her back.

"Give him time, Emma," Snow said gently, before turning to David, "We should make the announcement. David nodded in response and clinked a fork to his glass of Pinot Noir, silencing all who were crowded in the diner.

"It is my great honor to present to you all today, the new Prince. He was born thanks to the sacrifice of others. Specifically one man, who died the hero is truly was. It is because of this sacrifice that we felt the need pass his name onto our son, in the hopes that he will become the hero this man was. It is our honor to present to you, Prince Neal."

The diner exploded into cheers and applause, everyone congratulating the parents and praising his name. They were all warm and safe from the oncoming storm, one much closer than they would like.

**XxOUATxX**

A brass urn lay sideways on the rough dirt floor in the barn. Suddenly the ornate lid popped off and an ice blue liquid poured out, filling in the lines and coming together at the center. As the liquid gathered in began to take the shape of a young woman. Once fully formed, the liquid evaporated and in its place stood a woman with pale blonde hair. She removed a glove and shot a beam of ice at the urn, effectively destroying her former prison. The young woman marched confidently out of the barn into the night, leaving behind a trail of ice and snow.

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><p><strong>I would like to thank my beta and bestie, .forever.1335, she was amazingly patient while I wrote this and took the time to edit it. I owe you loads, babe. The next chapter will be up by next Sunday at the latest. Read and Review, my lovelies.<strong>

**-Kalianna**


	2. II: Morgana

**Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon A Time or Merlin**

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><p>"<em>Everything is impermanent. Every physical and mental experience arises and passes. Everything in existence is endlessly arising out of causes and conditions. We all create suffering for ourselves through our resistance, through our desire to have things different than the way they are - that is, our clinging or aversion."<em>

_ -Noah Levine_

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><p>II<p>

MORGANA

It was snowing outside. Each individual flake floated down from the light grey sky and littered the lawn of her younger sister. It was nice being with her sisters but they had changed so much. Zelena's jealousy no longer consumed her and little Regina had a son, adopted though he may be. To them it had been thirty years since their battle with the Ghost King, to her it had been only three days. She missed her world, one filled with glorious monsters and beautiful creatures, a world filled with magic and heroes. Call her foolish but she loved that world of hers, where everything was so cleanly defined, all laid out for all. Yes, she may have been a villain but that did not mean she was completely evil. She had good memories in Camelot, enough to overrun the bad, and the thought of never being able to return slowly killed her. In Camelot she could cling to the memories of a time when _she_ was Arthur's true love, not he insipid wife. In Camelot she had physical objects to remind her of better times, now she only has the memories that are slowly fading away.

Still, she was glad she had her sisters. They had been her support, her base the past few days as she slowly adjusted to this new world. Regina had taken her and Zelena shopping the previous day, letting them buy whatever they wished. Poor Henry had tagged along and still claimed that his new video game and comics were not enough compensation for twelve hours in a mall. Morgana adored her nephew, more than she thought she would. He may not have been birthed from Regina's womb but he was definitely her child. The pair shared similar mannerisms and quirks. The other night, she had witnessed their brows furrowing in concentration simultaneously as the small family played Risk. She had never been happier, and never been more afraid. Morgana knew that, when around her sisters, their combined magic power sent off a very strong signal. A signal the Shadow could potentially pick up on and follow.

Shaking the pessimistic thoughts from her head, Morgana ran a hand through her dark curls. Regina had situated her in one of the guest rooms, had let her decorate and alter the room to whatever pleased her. Slipping out of the blue Egyptian cotton sheets, the Queen of Fairies wrapped a silk blue robe around her slender body before padding into the hallway and down the stairs. The smell of eggs wafted up in her direction, the sound of laughter trickled into her ears as she walked closer and closer to the kitchen. Cooking and baking were tasks Regina always had a talent for, even when she was Queen of the Enchanted Forest. Morgana always loved it when the three of them would commandeer the kitchen from the servants and have a little picnic. Despite the fact that all of them had been in their late twenties, and still were it seemed, Regina, Zelena and she had acted like little children when around one another. But that was before they were still tiptoeing the line between light and dark, before the Darkness corrupted them. Shaking those thoughts from her head, Morgana entered the kitchen.

Henry and Zelena were sitting is chairs at the counter, plates of eggs, bacon and toast in front of them. Regina was leaning of the dark marble, a cup of steaming coffee held in her two hands. All three were still clad in their pajamas and slippers.

"Here," Regina turned handed Morgana a plate and gestured to the third stool at the counter. Morgana smiled in thanks and sat next to her nephew. He was amazingly acceptant of her and Zelena's questionable pasts, treating them like close family.

"So Squirt," Morgana turned to Henry, "What's in store for me today?"

The past few days Henry had been educating her in the technology of this world. Teaching her how to play different video games and, how to use the computer and the cellphone. All in all, they were very useful inventions. She could see why the residents of the Enchanted Forest loved this realm so.

"I was thinking some Pokémon, then Mom wants to claim you for a little driving and then Zelena wants to eat lunch at Granny's," Henry replied after gulping down half of his hot chocolate.

"Is eating at Granny's really wise?" Regina's brown eyes flickered over to their eldest sister.

Zelena's ice blue orbs met Regina's with unfailing confidence, "We need to present a unified front. The last time the residents of Storybrooke experienced our sisterly love it was during a short battle on Main Street. They will not and do not take our family seriously. We need to show them that our anger towards each other was just a ruse," she delicately ate a small bite of eggs, "Lunch together, with Henry, will show that while they do not need to fear us, they should not mess with us."

Regina snorted, "They already knew not to mess with us. They are too terrified. The Wicked Witch, Dark Fairy and Evil Queen all related? Who wouldn't cower?"

"I wouldn't," Henry's hand shot into the air, fork pointing skyward.

Morgana laughed and ruffled the teens brown hair, "You know us, Squirt, so you're being a little biased right now."

All three sisters laughed as Henry pouted. Despite worrisome weather and the possibility of being hunted down, they still found time to relax and simply be a family

**XxOUATxX**

Emma stared blankly into her empty cup. Snow White looked at her daughter, eyes filled with worry and a small amount of pity. She knew that her eldest child was planning on returning to New York with her son, but she needed her son in order to fulfill that wish. After the events of two days ago, Henry had yet to show his face in their humble apartment. He was staying with Regina, a situation that currently appeared to be permanent. The fact that her and David were running around coddling baby Neal probably did not help at all. No wonder Emma had not wanted to hold him yet, he was constant reminder of the fact that while they had gained a son, she had lost hers.

"Don't look at me like that," Emma muttered, her face turned downwards towards her plate.

"Like what?" Snow gazed innocently at her daughter.

Emma's green eyes finally met Snow's brown ones. They were hardened, but even that could not prevent Snow from seeing the pain and remorse that lingered behind her daughter's walls, "You know what." Emma's eyes flickered back down to her food. The burger was now cold and the fries were sufficiently smashed. Not one bite had been eaten, despite the mangled condition of the meal.

"You should really eat something," Snow nodded towards her eldest child's plate, taking a bite of her own meal, a Caesar salad.

"It's all cold now," Emma pushed the ceramic dish away from her, a small chunk of mushed potato falling onto the table.

Before Snow could comment, the bell jingled and in walked the three people guaranteed to worsen Emma's mood: Zelena, Morgana and Regina. Naturally the threesome had brought along Henry.

Emma's gaze followed the small family as they claimed a booth, eyes never leaving her son's face.

"Emma…" David began.

"Save it," the blonde woman interrupted, "I'm not hungry, so I'm just going to head to the office, keep the peace."

She grabbed her red jacket, slinging it over her shoulders, and walked out of the diner; very much aware of her parents' wary eyes following her retreating back. She was supposed to be the Savior, the hero, the good guy. So why was she wallowing in misery, why was she unhappy, why was she without her son, her child? Her parents had their happy ending, as they deserved, but they barely even worked for it. Hell, they gave her up and still achieved their dream. Why were they so lucky? And Regina, she had murdered thousands and was a powerful wielder of Dark Magic. She was the Evil Queen, daughter of the equally as malicious Queen of Hearts and sister to the Wicked Witch and the Dark Fairy. Why was she, of all people, allowed to have Henry's love after all of the evil in her past and most likely her future? Why was a mass murderer allow to hug _Emma's_ son and care for him?

As these thoughts raged through Emma's head, she did not notice the thin sheet of ice in the middle of Main Street, at least not until it made her fall on her ass.

"What the?" Emma muttered to herself as she stood and noticed the ice. There was only a thin line of it, but it stretched down the whole of Main Street, in both directions and there was no clear end in sight.

"You alright, Swan?" Hook asked his love, standing behind her in all of his pirate glory. Emma did a 180, not realizing he had witnessed her wipeout, and blushed.

"Yeah."

"Where did the ice come from?" He knelt down and taped it with his namesake.

"I have no idea," Emma's brow furrowed," But I'm about to find out. Let's go." The blonde haired woman began marching in the left direction, following the ice path towards Rumpelstiltskin's shop and the nearby warehouse.

"Swan, wait up!" Killian called after her, jogging slightly to catch up to her.

Emma's thoughts swirled around her mind as she walked determinedly along the ice path. Could Morgana have done this? Was she a danger to Storybrooke? Mayor's sister or not, the Dark Fairy could pose a threat and potentially destroy the recently achieved lull in fighting. Emma did not want to call this stalemate peace when much of the conflict with Zelena was unresolved. Could Zelena possibly the culprit here? Were she and her two sisters in league with each other and planning to freeze the town over, create an eternal winter and control the small population with fear and terror, again? That must be it, they could have placed a spell on Henry, which would explain why he had not stayed with her after the time travel incident.

Or, could this all be her fault? Could she have brought back or created a new villain while she was busy fucking up time? Could that urn that she was tossing around have been the prison of a very powerful monster and her playing around with its prison accidentally released it? No, no this was not her fault. She had checked the sight of the portal twice, made sure nothing had followed them back. Maybe she had missed something? Could it be possible? No, she was positive nothing had been brought back. It was the Mills sisters, they had to be the cause of it. There was no other possible explanation. Henry was no longer safe with Regina.

**XxOUATxX**

A small blonde haired boy stood on the stone steps of the castle beside his father. He was clad in a formal red and gold tunic, with rubies outlining the collar. Beside him, a tall man with greying dark hair stood stiffly beside his son, a golden crown resting heavily on his receding hairline.

"Now, Arthur," King Uther Pendragon looked down at his only son and heir, "A young lady is coming to stay with us for a long period of time and I need you to be on your best behavior around her. Is that understood?"

Arthur's pale blue eyes met his father's stern gray ones, "Understood, Father."

The pair waited in silence for a few more minutes. As each second ticked by Arthur became more and more impatient for this young lady to arrive. Would she be pretty like his cousin Elaine? Or would she be ugly and slightly dirty like his favorite servant's daughter, Guinevere? Would she be old like Alys or too young like Garrett? He wondered who his potential new friend would be and could no longer hold the questions back.

"Father, how old is she? Is she pretty? Is she highborn? Why is she staying with us? What's her name? Who is her father? Does he live here? Does she not have a mother also? What's her name? Where did she live before moving here?" Arthur bounced on his tiptoes energetically as he interrogated his father and King.

"Arthur, what have I told you about asking too many questions?" Uther's stern gaze became fixated on his son.

"That it is not befitting behavior for a prince," Arthur repeated monotonously.

"Good, now please remain quiet. All your questions will be answered in due time. Our guest should be arriving shortly," Uther's head turned away from his child and back to the main gate.

Arthur continued rocking back and forth, unable to contain his excitement, even if he could not express it verbally. His eyes followed the path of his fathers and never wavered from the main gate, the elaborate dragon shield captivating his attention. Before long a plain black carriage clicked and clacked through the gates of the castle. It was pulled along by two thin horses, their manes and tails mangled from the long journey. It came to a stop in front of the royal family. Arthur held his breath as the footman opened the carriage door and assisted a young girl of from the carriage. She appeared to be about four, only a year younger than Arthur himself and of perfectly playable age.

As she ascended the steps up to where the royal family was waiting, the young prince could not but be stunned by her beauty. She was clad in a wrinkled, simple black dress and her dark curls hung limply from her scalp. The dark bags under her eyes revealed how stressful the journey was on a young child. Yet he thought she was the prettiest and most enchanting woman in all of Albion, no, the world and all because of her eyes. His new friend had a pair of stunning pale green eyes that shown with loss, intelligence, hope and, most of all, rebellion. She was both civilized and wild. That made her the love of Arthur's life. He was determined, now, to marry this new playmate.

As the young girl approached the father and son duo, Arthur froze. He stopped bouncing, his fingers stopped twitching. All of his attention was devoted to his future bride, who he was unabashedly staring at with awe, mouth open slightly.

The girl came to a halt in front of the King and curtsied, head bowed slightly. She then turned to the Prince and repeated the procedure, her curtsy only slightly shallower. When she looked up, she blushed under the Prince's intense gaze before turning to the King once more.

"Welcome to Camelot, Lady Morgana," Uther gave a slight bow to the four year old girl.

"Thank you, Your Mahjestie," she slurred over the formal phrase.

Uther looked at his son and nudged the boys shoulder to remove him from his trance. Arthur blinked and stuttered, struggling to utter a friendly and non-creepy welcome. After a few seconds he manage to get out,

"Will you marry me?"

**XxOUATxX**

Regina rubbed her temples with her fingertips and could feel an oncoming stress headache. Ever since Miss Swan and the Pirate, discovered the path of ice, she has had to deal with a mob of Storybrooke residents knocking on her office door every minute. Grabbing some files, she headed to the town hall. After the fifth unscheduled visitor, Regina had planned an open meeting to soothe everyone's worries. She had also planned ahead and thought of some possible defenses should anyone try to propose that the impending doom of an eternal winter was entirely her and her sisters' faults.

She walked quickly out of her office, slamming the door behind her a little too forcefully in her anger. As she headed to the town hall, Regina spotted a heartbreaking scene. Robin and Marian were strolling down the block, Roland in between them, with big smiles on their faces. Mother and son were clutching ice cream cones. Blinking away the tears in her eyes, Regina shook her head slightly and continued her walked, albeit in at a slower pace, shoulders hunched just a tad. From a little further behind, Zelena and Morgana watched the change in Regina.

"What has that man done to her?" Morgana asked her older sibling.

"According to Henry, the two had a brief, but passionate fling before the two of us went back in time to save you. He and Emma Swan followed us there and rescued his deceased wife in the process," Zelena explained as the pair followed the youngest sister at a distance.

"So he and Emma saved his long dead wife even though he was dating Regina?" Morgana's eyes narrowed in anger.

"Yeah."

"Pardon my wording, but what an asshole."

"Tell me about it."

The pair continued to follow the Mayor until they reached their destination. Regina entered through a side door that lead directly to the stage, while the older siblings used the main entrance. Henry was waiting for them by the double doors, smiling and waving when he spotted them.

"Hey Squirt," Morgana ruffled his hair as Henry gave her a slightly annoyed look. She knew he hated it when she did that, especially because he was thirteen and slightly taller than her.

"Stop torturing the poor boy," Zelena scoffed at the pair before leading them inside to the front row of folding chairs.

As the red haired sorceress led her family she couldn't help but glancing back at her nephew and younger sister. Morgana was the only one of the sisters to have a somewhat pleasant childhood. She had everything she could have desired in Camelot and that made her slightly happier than her and Regina. She was not forced to grow up earlier, not forced to deal with brutal beatings or overbearing mothers. Zelena cracked a smile at the sight of her carefree family members but that smile only lasted a millisecond when she noticed the judgmental looks being given to the pair by more than half of the residents of Storybrooke. The former Wicked Witch ushered them into their seats, glaring at the blatantly staring townsfolk.

Regina banged the gavel and stood behind the podium, "Attention, calling to order Meeting 1124. Main issue: the threat of an eternal winter. Will be accepting questions from the public immediately," she pointed to one of the many raised hands in the crowd.

"What was the cause of this winter?"

Regina bit her lip, "We do not know. But as of now Emma and Hook are investigating the case. With any luck we can have this issue resolved soon."

As soon as her baby sister spoke those words, Zelena knew that she had jinxed their luck. A loud roar echoed throughout the hall clarifying her beliefs. "Dammit," Zelena murmured as the townsfolk began screaming in terror and fleeing the hall and creating mass disorder.

**XxOUATxX**

Morgana laughed loudly in her seat, head falling onto her chest, face flushing from lack of air. Arthur was slouched in the cushioned seat beside her, the pair perched in front of the large fireplace in the library. The warm fire, heated their bodies and kept them from freezing the in bone chilling winter that all of Albion was currently experiencing. Morgana always appreciated the location of Camelot in these times, her duchy of Cornwall was located by the sea and the one winter she was there was spent frozen inside the stone walls of her castle.

As she calmed down, Morgana noticed how Arthur was looking at her. His normally pale blue eyes were slightly darkened and his mouth was relaxed in a peaceful smile. She blushed a little and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"So, what else happened?" she leaned against the arm of her chair, pushing her breasts out just a little, to see what Arthur's reaction would be. Morgana couldn't help but smirk, just a little as Arthur's face reddened, his eyes flickering down to her chest and back up to her eyes. Satisfied that she had embarrassed him enough, Morgana leaned back and listened as he finished his tale of how he managed to successfully destroy not only the stables but also the training fields while taming his stallion.

She lived for the peaceful moments like this. The moments where it was just the two of them, together, no one else interrupting. As Arthur and Morgana aged more limits were placed upon how long they could be alone together, fear of a possible marriage dictating these rules. Often times the pair would sneak off to their tree and spend the entire afternoon sitting underneath its expansive branches. Now that there was snow on the ground, they could no longer run around barefoot outside and climb the branches of their willow tree without getting caught.

"Are you even listening," Arthur demanded.

Morgana rolled her eyes at his bratty attitude and responded, "Stop acting like a spoiled brat and maybe I will."

Arthur huffed, "If that's how you're going to be then fine, I'm going to go train the knights some more. You can have fun reading here alone," he stood quickly and stormed off, crown resting crookedly on his head.

Morgana pouted before exiting the library to find Gwen, her hand maiden was usually free by this time of day and Morgana needed a new dress from the upcoming ball. As she strolled through the halls, memories of her wild childhood with Arthur flashed before her eyes; the stairs where they had gone sledding down when she was seven; the desk where he wrote his vows to her at age five and the floor where she dictated him her response, as she could not write prettily yet; there was the hall where they had played both house and marriage several times until Uther discovered their activities at age 10. Then things began to fall apart. Arthur was being taught the ways of knighthood and how to rule his future kingdom, while Morgana was forced to sit through hours of lessons on calligraphy and sewing, as well as planning out the larger feasts and balls. She was educated in courtly etiquette while Arthur ran around outside practicing swordplay. The more time they spent apart, the more tense their relationship became. The fact that she found him attractive did not help at all.

Here she was, crushing on her childhood friend. A boy who had been her playmate since before she could remember and she desired him. His perfect, golden locks and aquamarine blue eyes always caught her off guard at the least opportune moments. Shaking her head she entered her room and shifted through her gowns, deciding to select an old one instead of making yet another dress that she would only wear once. As her eyes flickered back and forth, their speed exceeding that of her hands, Morgana finally came upon it. The gown that was sure to secure his attention on her the whole night, the dress that would make him feel the same way she felt about him.

As Morgana lay the skimpy maroon garment across her bed, Gwen entered.

"My lady, did you hear, Arthur has been given a new manservant. His name is Merlin and he is the nephew of Gaius," Gwen blushed prettily at his name, her tan cheeks flushing on slightly.

"Finally, another man in this place to keep Arthur busy. At least his laundry will be completed properly for once," Morgana chuckled as she shifted through her jewels, trying to find a set that matched her dress. Maybe having this Merlin around would be beneficial. She could befriend him and then recruit him into to her plan to win Arthur over.

**XxOUATxX**

Emma struggled to control the Snow Monster that had suddenly appeared from behind the fishing warehouse. The beast was tearing down power lines and threatening the lives of many of the residents. People had come streaming out of the town hall, shouting and running for their lives. A good few were crushed under the monsters feet before his attention was directed towards the woods.

"Whomever is controlling him must be leading him to a certain location!" Killian shouted over the screams.

"Let's go!" Emma responded before pulling out her cell and calling Robin. The monster was entering his domain. If anyone knew where it was going then it would be the Prince of Thieves. If only Regina weren't stuck in the town hall, Emma cursed. Some extra firepower would be of good use, despite her suspicions about what deeds the Mayor was performing in her spare time.

Emma, Charming and Hook ran towards the yellow bug before speeding off towards the forest. The Savior considered herself lucky that she had taken the time to learn how to navigate the back roads of the small town or else the threesome would have been trapped behind a screaming mob with no way of reaching the snow monster. After a good three minutes, she spotted Robin, his Merry Men and Marian waiting in a small clearing for the monster to appear.

"When it comes around the corner, shoot at it," Robin filled his men in on the current situation, "Then Emma will back it up with a few blasts of magic. This will hopefully be enough firepower to vanquish the beast."

The small group readied themselves for the worst and were soon within sight of the monster. The arrows did little to stop it, just getting stuck in the snow and ice, not really doing any damage at all. The snow monster let out an icy breath and knocked back the Merry Men. Emma fired a blast of her magic but it also did barely any damage. Then she too was knocked back by a blast of ice. Her head hit the tree and Emma's vision began fading. In between long periods of darkness, Emma spotted Regina not only saving Marian from the monster but also destroying it will one short spell. She nearly turned green with envy. Here Regina was being the good little hero and defeating the monster in one fell swoop with her magic when Emma's did not damage at all. She was not only in custody of Henry, but Regina was more powerful too. Did that blasted woman have everything Emma desired? Soon she would gather enough evidence to prove that Regina and her sisters were the cause of everyone's suffering, not just her own.

**XxOUATxX**

Elsa cursed as the Evil Queen succeeded in defeating her snow monster, but smiled at the increasing doubt in Emma's heart. Her despair was the first ingredient she needed in order to enact her plan. It was all going according to plan.

"On my life, I swear, I will bring about your return, my Master."

* * *

><p><strong>So here's chapter two. A few minutes past Sunday, but I still got it out in a week. Thanks again to my beta, .forever.1335 who has been hounding me all week to write this god damned chapter. Read and Review. <strong>

**-Kalianna**


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